1423 Powhatan St., Suite 1
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
Phone (703) 836-6727
Fax (703) 836-7491
Email: asnehq@navalengineers.org

 

ASNE is the leading professional engineering society for engineers, scientists and allied professionals who conceive, design, develop, test, construct, outfit, operate and maintain complex naval and maritime ships, submarines and aircraft and their associated systems and subsystems.  ASNE also serves the educators who train the professionals, researchers who develop related technology, and students who are preparing for the profession.  Society activities provide support for the U.S. Navy; U.S. Coast Guard; U.S. Marine Corps; U.S. Merchant Marine and U.S. Army.

ASNE is the seventh oldest technical society in the United States.  It was founded in 1888 by a group of naval engineering pioneers, most of them officers of the U.S. Navy's Engineering Corps, who sought a unified approach to their profession in order to make the most of new advances in technology. The purposes of ASNE are:           

  • to advance the knowledge and practice of naval engineering in public and private applications and operations,
  • to enhance the professionalism and well-being of members, and
  • to promote naval engineering as a career field.

For 125 years, the Society’s objectives have been strengthened and preserved to meet the changing needs of a time-honored profession. Today ASNE conducts a variety of technical meetings and symposia, publishes the highly regarded Naval Engineers Journal and a number of other technical proceedings and publications, and fosters professional development and technical information exchange through technical committees, local section activities and cooperative efforts with government organizations and other professional societies.

The Society's annual meeting, ASNE Day, is typically held in February of each year in the Washington, DC, area. The meeting features major addresses by high level industry and government leaders and panel discussions by leading members of the profession.  It also includes presentation and discussion of technical papers on a variety of timely naval engineering topics, presentation of the Society's prestigious annual awards and a large exposition with government and industry exhibits covering the full spectrum of naval engineering technology. ASNE Day is highlighted by the Society’s annual Honors Gala, attended by hundreds of executives and senior managers from both government and industry.

Our website is designed to not only serve our members, but also to support scholars, students and others interested in the varied field of naval engineering.  We welcome your suggestions on ways we can improve your experience. 

Mr. Thaddeus G. Bell

Award: Solberg Award
Year: 1968
Recipient:
Mr. Thaddeus G. Bell
Reason:
For his significant contribution to naval engineering as set forth in the following CITATION:

For exceptionally outstanding contributions to Naval Engineering in connection with developing and equipping the Navy with a new generation of sonars which provide a greatly expanded capability and flexibility in meeting a large variety of situations encountered in the detection of submarines in the ocean environment.

In 1955, Mr. Bell recognized the practicality of utilizing an unexploited sound path in the detection of submarines. He thereupon originated the basic design of a new sonar capable of exploiting that path and others too. During the turbulent course of the development that followed, he steadfastly and successfully defended the soundness of the basic design. His widely recognized ability to present complex matters in readily understandable terms was a great asset in this period, when serious doubt was cast upon the validity of this significant step forward.

During the prolonged testing of the sonar, he had an important role in operations at sea that eventually demonstrated that predicted performance could be achieved. He interpreted the more obscure test results, and identified the need for further development work with a clarity that instilled confidence in people with legitimate concerns over the program. He took a leading role in supplementary studies of the ocean environment as it interfaces with the sonar. His concern for the successful employment of the sonar resulted in simplifying to a maximum extent the guides for shipboard use of what is necessarily a complicated submarine detection tool. Mr. Bell's outstanding scientific insight, widely recognized command of his field, and his patient perseverance and diligence in pursuit of this development over the past thirteen years, have been the major factors in the successful development and introduction into the Fleet in 1968 of the most versatile and effective AN/SQS-26 SONAR. His achievements in connection with this development clearly indicate his worthiness to be selected for the 1968 Solberg Award.